A Day Out

We were able to put the boat in port for the afternoon. Took a cab to fetch a part for our dingy. Enjoyed a late afternoon snack of tapas and now off to do some shopping! Everyone is in great spirits!
(Trying out the new blogger app).

Ibiza and beyond...

We made it to the islands! The last two weeks have been great. I have really enjoyed my time with Jeb and Wendy and did not realize just how much I miss them! (tears). Well the last few weeks have not been uneventful. In fact there had been lots going on.

Ibiza ... great anchoring

 

Wendy scubing with Joseph...

We traveled 80 miles from the Spanish mainland to reach the islands. I have always wanted to go to Ibiza I just never imaged it would be on a boat with two kids. The first night we anchored in a beautiful little cove. We went snorkeling  and watched the movie Croods on the computer. It was a very nice night. The following day we made our way down the coast towards Cala Blanco another anchorage. As we arrived to drop anchor our engine wires got hot and started a small smokey spark. Joseph was wonderful in reacting. He was able to cool down the wires and we spent the night in the cove. The following day a charter captain from Valencia gave us a tow out of the cove and we sailed all the way to Puerto De San Antonio. We spent two nights in port and regrouped. Joseph and the mechanic replaced all the wires and we were up and running again. I am so grateful that Joseph is an electrical engineer and able to fix so much. He truly has everyone's safety in mind when we are on the boat.

The kids were great and very patient as we waited in port. We went to the beach and checked out San Antonio. I could not get over the amount of young English people who were there. They were all drinking so much...and just party...it is Ibiza!

We have now reached Mallorca and it is beautiful here! We have been swimming and exploring the island. Wendy is a natural snorkeler and Jeb loves checking out all the fish. We feed them old bread and the fish swarm around the boat. It is really like being in heaven! I am feeling very blessed and looking forward to being home with my family for the week. 

Hope everyone at home is healthy, happy, and safe!

 

 

Santa Pola, Spain

The last couple of weeks have been busy! We have truly enjoyed our guest for the past few weeks. Gigi and Poppy spent a week with us on the boat and were very good sports about everything. It was hot at night but since the weather has cooled down. Gigi and Poppy went on there way to continue there adventure to Barcelona. We have talked to them everyday and they sound happy. The kids have adjusted well to the boat and really enjoy anchoring and swimming. We have been working on writing in there journals and Jeb has memorized the 8's times table. We have to keep up with the reading and writing!

 

Can you find Zimbabalooba?

 

  

 Some Climbing in the water at the beach!

 

The other morning we anchored in this adorable cove and we were able to to go for a hike in the morning. It felt great to get out and move first thing in the morning! The kids did great and the view was spectacular.

We were able to do some sailing this past week and the water is so warm. I have enjoyed snorkeling with the kids. We see fireworks almost every night.

 

Fish farms...there are tons of them!

 

I wish I could be more specific as to what towns we have been in but I honestly do not know. I quite often ask Joseph what day of the week is it? I am feeling very relaxed and truly blessed to be having this adventure.
We are heading to the Balearic Islands on Thursday. I am excited to see Formentera and Mallorca Spain. The swimming is suppose to be great!
 
A special shout out to CATE GAMMONS...HAPPY BIRTHDAY...LOVE YOU! XOXOXOX







Enjoy the pictures and thank you for all the support.
I am home the last week of August for a week then Joseph and I  are heading on to Corsica and Sardinia. Going to be a great year!

Jeb riding in the Dinghy

At Last!

 

So we find ourselves on the eve of leaving Benalmadena! The last week has been busy fixing engine pieces and organizing the boat. We have added two more wolves to our wolf pack and could not be more thrilled! Jeb and Wendy have been a great addition to the boat. Their little hands and bodies have been great to get into those tough to reach spots...hahaha just kidding!

On Sunday, We had a day of rest and headed to Rhonda by car to meet Gigi and Poppy for lunch. The drive was spectacular! I drove there so I could practice my manual driving. I have really mastered it! I even ran some errands alone the other day and only stalled once.

On our way to Rhonda we stopped in a small town tucked into the hill and went to mass. There was 12pm mass all in Spanish. The view from the church was gorgeous. The kids did great despite how hot it was. I truly enjoy attending mass in a new church every week. I love seeing all the different styles of altars and paintings there are. This past Sunday the church had a funeral procession casket. It was made out of wood and glass with a silk white bed and pillow inside of it. It really put a perspective on how beautiful a funeral procession in Spain is.  We went on to meet Gigi and Poppy for lunch. Rhonda was a gorgeous town also tucked high into the mountains. It had a very large cliff running through the center of it. The mountains here are breathtaking and driving through them was amazing!

church

They also had this painting that was 3D. It was a painting of Heaven and Hell, or at least that is what Wendy thought it was. I would have to agree with her. We went on to light a candle for our family and friends back home, especially my uncle Frank for whom I heard is now recovering at home!

We are heading out of town at last tomorrow afternoon and we are heading towards Malaga but will definitely pass it. I am really looking forward to getting out of this marina. Although Benalmadena is beautiful I miss the open seas!

I am feeling very blessed and so excited to be sharing this adventure with Gigi, Poppy, and the kids.

Hoping everyone at home is healthy, happy, and safe!
 

Benalmadena Spain

 


Today is Saturday July 27, 2013. We have been back in Spain now for 3 days. I love the town of Benalmadena.  It is just southwest of Malaga on the southern coast of Spain. We have met some really great Spainards that are very helpful. We currently have two very special boat guests. Jeb and Wendy the two children who I nanny for have come to stay with us on the boat for 5 weeks. Jeb is 10 and Wendy is 8. They have so far been great listeners and helpers when it come to living on the boat. We were hoping to leave port today but we are in the process of fixing a few things on board and it looks more realistic that we will leave on Tuesday instead.

We flew back to Spain on Tuesday the 23rd. Our luggage got lost along the way. When we arrived into Granada we did not have all our bags. Iberia airlines lost it in Madrid. We spent the day in Granada checking out this very old castle called the Alhambre. It was very hot out! The kids did great and really enjoyed exploring the site. We were able to pick our bags up later at the airport then we drove to Benalmadena. We have been here in the marina and there is lots to do and see. I have been taking the kids to the beach every morning. Wendy loves to boogie board and Jeb is all about building castles. In the afternoon we have been leaving the beach because it gets very very hot and crowded. I am really looking forward to getting out of the marina and anchoring for a few nights. I can't wait to find a cozy lagoon to explore!!!

Last night we took the kids over to boardwalk. They both decided they would try the bungee cord jumping on top of a trampoline. It was a riot. Jeb did a great job flipping forwards and backwards. He was in his element! Wendy was great too. She mastered the backwards flip right away! We walked back to the boat and the kids went right to sleep.

As of right now, 10am they are still sound asleep. I think boat life is agreeing with them!

Hope everyone at home is healthy happy and safe!
Prayers of healing for my uncle Frank.

US visit!

Joseph and I were home for 10 days. We managed to fit in a funeral, rest in peace Aunt Marie and  A lovely Wedding in Newport, Congratulations to my cousin Jackie and her new husband Nathan!  The venue was at Castle Hill and the two families, the Ryan's and the Konos could not have been nicer. We danced all night and enjoyed some delicious food. I was so wiped I did not even make it to the after party. (not like me)!

We were only home for a short visit and had lots of jobs to complete. My parents were extremely helpful and supportive in our ability to accomplish our jobs.
 We had a great visit with lots of close friends and really enjoyed our time at home!

Thanks Mom and Dad!
Love, Anne

Gibraltar

As I write this blog we are closely approaching the Strait of Gibraltar.  I can see Spain on the port side and Morocco on the Starboard. It has been a long trip to reach this point but we did it! At this point Joseph and I have logged over 1,865 Nautical miles. Not all of them have been as warm and sunny or even close to glamorous as the last 300. Since we reached Porto over a week ago we have been blessed with beautiful warm weather.

morocco ... didn't expect to see that :)

I will back up a bit a fill you in on what ports we have visited and some of the very interesting and amazing people we have met along the way. First of all, we had a great time with our friends Kate and Alison. The girls were very good sports about helping and being a part of our sailing adventure. Alison has sailed with us before in St. Martin and was so helpful with docking and winching.  We arrived in Porto and went into the old city for dinner. The depth of the city amazed me. I had never experienced such steep hills that lead down to the riverfront. It was breathtaking, with very old churches and buildings with amazing detail. We made our way down to the riverfront and had dinner. The restaurant we chose was not the best but it did the trick! As we walked around we took in the sites of the old city. One of my favorite parts about Portugal and Spain is that they people are out late and eating late! There is always a gelato shop open. The ice cream has been a great treat! They have amazing flavors and I love the cones.

Porto by night

Now, earlier in the day we experienced a lovely visit with this gentleman from Porto.  We had stopped in a local café for a drink and asked about where to find some pastries.  The owner then took us around the corner to a local baker. The baker allowed us to test many different homemade cookies. I cannot remember his name and probably would have had I blogged sooner about this experience! He explained to us that he and his wife had been in the business for over 20 years and that he loved baking cakes. He made a reference to Cake Boss and said that his cakes were a bit overdone and not authentic to real cakes.  It was a wonderful experience to meet this baker and hear how passionate he was about his profession. I think we all enjoyed talking to the baker. We ended up buying a chocolate cake. It was delicious.

The following day we unfortunately had to say goodbye to the girls.

For the first time since May 5^th Joseph and I were alone on the boat. We had to work together to sail our way to Lisbon. It was the first time we did an overnight with just the two of us. Now for some of my readers I must explain to you about night sailing. First of all there is no white light allowed after the sun goes down. If you are on deck at night then you must be clipped in to the boat. Our lifejackets are self-inflating when they hit the water and are also equipped with strobe lights. Joseph and I took turns doing the watch. We have an amazing autopilot system that drives the boat and keeps us on course. A person must be on deck to watch for other boats and adjust the sails as the wind changes. Every hour you must log your position in the notebook and the speed the boat is going. Later, I asked Joseph why we had to log if the GPS records this information regularly. He responded by telling me that it was in case I fell in that way he would know about where and when I left the deck. Wow!

me on watch ... drive by wire

When we arrived in Lisbon we were exhausted. We spent most of the day napping and catching up with emails and family. Joseph had the wonderful news that his first nephew was born.  His brother Fergus and wife Elena had given birth to a boy Christian Luca Burke. He looked adorable on Skype!

That evening we took a train into Lisbon and toured the city. We went to the Castelo de Sao Jorge. It was breathtaking. We walked all along the castle walls and could see for miles. I really enjoyed exploring the castle and seeing the city of Lisbon with Rio Tejo below. 

in the castle

Later, we poked around Alfama’s twisting alleys and enjoyed some local flavor and Fado music. In the restaurant were we ate all of the staff and servers sang Fado. It was amazing to hear all of their voices together.  We enjoyed some red house vino and had an exciting ride home in a taxi.

fado music at its best

The following day we left and headed south down the coast of Portugal to Sines. This Marina was great. We were able to anchor the boat and Joseph got to do some diving for the first time this trip. We had purchased some scuba diving gear before we left the states. Joseph suited up and cleaned the bottom of the boat. I swam around the boat and cleaned the sides. The water was beautiful and warm. It was so hot out that the only place to be was in the water. After we finished the cleaning we headed back to the dock. We met a lovely gentleman from the Channel Islands. His name was Adrian. He mentioned that he used to own Herm, the island and has since retired to sailing. He invited us to have a drink on his boat later. We of course we very pleased to be invited and went over after church.

When we arrived we met his wife Penny. She was lovely! We had some appetizers and a couple glasses of wine with them.  They told us that they use to own Herm and that Penny was one of the first people to have been born on the island.  If you remember earlier in my blogs I talk about Peter Dawson Ball from Guernsey. He told me the story of Herm and who owned it etc. I was so surprised when I later caught up with Peter of Facebook to find out that we were I the company of local Channel island royalty and didn’t know it! What a small world.

Zim in the marina... can you see her ?

Next we sailed on to Portimao and anchored there for the night. We had a nice swim and then a short sail west along the coast to Abufeira were we met up and collected Joseph’s friend John and his wife Kathy. They are going to be staying on the boat for the week while we are away in America. They are a lovely couple and it has been nice to have the company!

getting ready to shop for food ... we love food
Sardines for dinner ... not me :)

They are going to be staying on the boat for the week we are away in America. They are a lovely couple and it has been nice to have the company!

John and JosephKathy

I am really looking forward to being home for the week. I miss my friends, family, and job very much. Joseph and I are looking forward to celebrating with my cousin Jackie and he fiancé Nathan at their wedding in Newport.

The travel and adventure continues. I said to Joseph the other day, “this sailing thing is not always a very relaxing vacation” he responded by saying, “Darling, this is not a vacation but a lifestyle” …

  I am really getting into the lifestyle now and loving every minute of it! We are so blessed to experince so many different cultures and to have this adventure together! 

Hope everyone at home is healthy, happy, and safe!

Oh ya ! Gibraltar:

Now a cruise ship trying to be a sail boat :)